OptimizedBrain

Slide 1: Improving Your Productivity: How to Optimize Your Brain and Those of Your Coworkers Dr. John L. Schinnerer President, InfiNet Assessment InfiNET Assessment, Inc.
Slide 2: Brain facts The optimized brain Adult ADHD Depression/BPD Anxiety 20 tips to optimize your brain Overview Mr. Osborn, may I be excused? My brain is full!
Slide 3: The Human Brain The brain is the most complex system known to humankind. Over one hundred billion neurons, each with hundreds or thousands of synaptic connections. There are more connections in your brain than there are stars in the universe.
Slide 4: The brain is involved in everything you do - how you think, how you feel, how well you get along with others. Your brain helps (or hurts) you in your marriage, parenting, work, and religious beliefs. To understand yourself, you must understand the brain and how it works. If your brain works right, you work right. Brain facts
Slide 5: Disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, and bipolar disorder are NOT just “in your head”. Recent research clearly shows that mental disorders are related to the physiology of your brain. The proof lies in the following SPECT brain images… (SPECT - single photon emission computed tomography, is a nuclear medicine study that evaluates brain blood flow and activity patterns.) Disorders & the brain
Slide 6: The Optimized Brain Normally functioning brain. Side view. Normally functioning brain. Front view. Normally functioning brain. Top view. Note the relatively smooth surface area, and the symmetry between sides. This is indicative of good blood flow to all parts of brain. All brain images Ó Amen Clinic 2002
Slide 7: The Less-Than-Optimal Brain Frontal lobe, right side stroke. Most of right temporal and frontal lobes are inaccessible. All brain images Ó Amen Clinic 2002 Stroke victim Right side stroke. Top down view. Right side stroke. Front view.
Slide 8: The ADHD Brain ADHD Brain at rest. Looks pretty good. Some holes. ADHD Brain on Adderall while concentrating. ADHD while concentrating. All brain images Ó Amen Clinic 2002
Slide 9: Symptoms of Adult ADHD Easily distracted. Inattentive. Act without thinking. Talk without listening. Disorganized. Often drawn to conflict. Sometimes aggressive. Poor follow through. Constantly late. Note: Many ADHD symptoms appear as a result of stress, depression or anxiety.
Slide 10: ADHD Facts ADHD often overlaps with another mental disorder. Roughly 75% of adults with ADHD also suffer from another disorder, such as depression or antisocial personality disorder (e.g., disregard for and violation of the rights of others). 50% of inmates in a number of studies have been identified as ADHD (75% in one study). 52% of untreated teens and adults abuse drugs or alcohol. Less than one-third of ADHD sufferers receive any form of treatment for it.
Slide 11: The depressed brain Normal brain. View from bottom. Depressed brain. Note holes in underside. All brain images Ó Amen Clinic 2002 Significantly decreased prefrontal and temporal lobe activity.
Slide 12: Symptoms of Depression 2 weeks or more of depressed mood or anhedonia (lack of pleasure in previously enjoyable activities). Plus at least four of the following: Decreased energy. Change in appetite or weight, sleep, and physical activity. Sudden weight gain or weight loss. Difficulty thinking or making decisions. Feelings of worthlessness of guilt. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation. Social isolation
Slide 13: Depression/Bipolar Facts Depression is part of the spectrum of bipolar disorders.
Slide 14: Bipolar Disorder (BPD) Facts People w/untreated BPD have a suicide rate greater than 20%. 70% of those untreated use illegal drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. Often coexists with anxiety disorders, anorexia or bulimia, and/or OCD. 5% of Americans have some sort of BPD.
Slide 15: Famous People with BPD Ludwig van Beethoven Marilyn Monroe Vincent van Gogh Eugene O’Neill Winston Churchill Laurence Olivier Virginia Wolff Richard Nixon Boris Yeltsin Claude Monet Bill Clinton Cole Porter Robin Williams Charles Schulz Jonathon Winters Princess Diana Neal Cassady (writer with Kerouac) Kurt Cobain Spencer Tracy John Denver Ed Wood Franz Kafka Tammy Wynette Thelonious Monk Toulouse-Lautrec And the list goes on…
Slide 16: The anxious brain Normal brain. Underside active view. Anxious brain. Note the increased activity. All brain images Ó Amen Clinic 2002
Slide 17: Symptoms of Anxiety Conflict avoidance Irritability Social withdrawal Panic attacks (typically includes shortness of breath, tightening of chest, perspiration, inability to think clearly, increased heart rate, feeling of impending doom, dry mouth). Excessive worry Muscle tension Sleep problems Somatic problems (stomachache, headache)
Slide 18: Anxiety Facts Roughly 5% of population will have an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety is healthy, normal response to danger. Many of us interpret non-threatening situations as dangerous and react with a fight-or-flight response which is dictated by our physiology. Anxiety disorders include social phobia, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, specific phobias and post-traumatic stress (PTSD).
Slide 19: Screen your applicants carefully. Use structured interviewing and testing to identify the best possible candidates up front. Valid pre-employment assessments can help you to differentiate between : 1) constructive and destructive personality traits 2) adequate and inadequate cognitive ability (or IQ), and 3) high and low levels of integrity. How do I protect my company? Note: Tests must be job-related and valid.
Slide 20: Past patterns of antisocial behavior (e.g., arrest records) are good indicators of future behavior. Use a reputable background check company. ESR in Novato or Background Profiles in Pleasant Hill are both great companies. Check applicant backgrounds
Slide 21: Be aware of the indicators of the most prevalent mental disorders and substance abuse. Use this information in combination with your intuition to: 1) refer coworkers to an EAP or other mental health resource. 2) screen out more severe applicants. Be aware of the warning signs
Slide 22: 20 steps to optimize your brain. Hold on. Here they come … What can I do to optimize my brain?
Slide 23: Protect your brain. Hard skull, soft brain. Bad combination. Concussions can adversely affect memory, mood stability, and your ability to learn. Wear a helmet at all times (e.g., motorcycling, biking, skiing). Wear a seatbelt. Avoid contact sports such as football, martial arts and boxing. Brain tip #1 – Keep your brain safe
Slide 24: Eliminate all toxic elements This includes caffeine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, nicotine, and sugars. Caffeine and nicotine have been shown in brain studies to decrease overall blood flow to the brain, making most symptoms worsen over time. They also decrease the effectiveness of many medications and increase the number and severity of side effects. Brain tip #2 – Stop polluting your brain
Slide 25: Marijuana Use 28 year old with 10 years of mostly weekend use.Underside surface view. Decreased pfc and temporal lobe activity. Cocaine Use 24 year old with 2 year history of frequent cocaine use.Top down surface view.Multiple holes across cortical surface Alcohol Use 48 year old with 22 years of daily use. Underside surface view. Marked scalloping. Overall decreased activity. Scans of substance-users
Slide 26: The Brain Can Heal Itself Scans of reformed substance-users Top down surface view during substance abuse. Top down surface view. One year cocaine and alcohol free. Underside surface view during substance abuse. Subject #1 Underside surface view. One year clean and sober. Subject #2 Cocaine Marijuana
Slide 27: High protein - low carbohydrate diet The recommended diet according to many experts, including Barry Sears, Ph.D. (author of The Zone) and Dr. Atkins is a higher protein – lower carbohydrate diet with a minimum of sugars. This helps promote a more even mood, better focus, and improved cognitive ability. “Food is a powerful drug. You can use it to help mood and cognitive ability or you can unknowingly make things worse.” – Barry Sears Brain tip #3 – Feed your brain
Slide 28: Omega-3 stabilizes mood & improves overall brain functioning Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids crucial for growth and development. They cannot be produced by our bodies but must be be ingested via diet or pills. Found in large, fatty, cold water fish, olive oil, and canola oil. Omega-3s are required by the brain to an extraordinary degree. They help turn down the ‘volume’ of communications between brain cells (similar to the action of a mood stabilizer). Recommended daily dose: 3-4 grams daily. Take 1 gram with each meal. Take an antioxidant daily as well to clean up leftover free radicals. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #4 – Omega-3 fatty acids
Slide 29: GABA reduces anxiety. GABA is an essential neurotransmitter in the brain. GABA calms neuronal activity and inhibits nerve cells from overfiring. GABA reduces anxiety similar to diazepam (Valium) without the fear of addiction. Recommended dosage: Ranges from 100 to 500 mg per day for adults per Dr. Daniel Amen. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #5 – GABA
Slide 30: DLPA improves mood Many of us are beset by symptoms of mild depression, such as negativity, sadness, hopelessness, and a large number of automatic negative thoughts (ANTs). DLPA (DL-phenylalanine) has been shown in studies to help alleviate these symptoms. Milder in its effect than prescription antidepressants, such as Prozac. However, it also has many fewer side effects. Recommended dose: 400 mg three times a day on an empty stomach (or 1200 mg daily). Note: People with PKU (phenylketonuria) should not take DLPA, as they do not have the enzyme that breaks it down. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #6 – DLPA
Slide 31: 5-HTP helps sleep, mood, irritability. 5-HTP increases serotonin levels. Low levels of serotonin are related to obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, interrupted sleep, aggressiveness, moodiness, overfocusing and rigid thinking. A number of double blind studies have shown 5-HTP to be as effective as antidepressant medication when treating depression. Recommended dose: 50 to 300 milligrams per day. 5-HTP taken on an empty stomach will improve absorption. A possible side effect of 5-HTP is an upset stomach. To reduce this possibility, start with the minimum dose (50 mg.) and slowly work your way up to desired dose over a 1 to 2 week period. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #7 – 5-HTP
Slide 32: Phosphatidyl serine (PS) plays an integral role in shaping the fluidity of brain cell membranes. Low levels of PS are related to memory problems and depression in older individuals. There have been 8 double-blind studies that report how efficient PS can be in helping correct memory issues. The daily dose for PS, per Dr. Amen, is 100 mg. twice a day for two weeks. Then, if needed, 100 mg. three times a day for memory. Ginkgo Biloba (GB) Ginkgo Biloba is a strong antioxidant that is helpful in increasing circulation in the body. A number of studies have shown that GB improves energy, focus, concentration and memory. It seems to increase blood flow in the brain and minimize the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Recommended dose of GB is 60 to 120 mg. twice a day. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #8 – PS and GB
Slide 33: Vitamin E improves memory Vitamin E is helpful for memory problems at dosages of 400 to 600 I.U. twice per day. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #9 – Vitamin E
Slide 34: Decide upon your greatest need – anxiety, sadness, sleep, or stabilizing mood – and try the corresponding supplement to address that need. Start with one and add additional supplements later. It is suggested that you consult with your doctor before taking GABA, DLPH, or 5-HTP, especially when taken any in conjunction with prescription antidepressants. InfiNet Assessment Use common sense with supplements
Slide 35: Brain tip #10 – Exercise Run, walk or swim Intense aerobic exercise 20-45 minutes five times a week. Exercise boosts the blood flow to the brain. It also increases serotonin availability in the brain which has a tendency to improve your overall mood and the flexibility with which you think and problem solve.
Slide 36: Brain tip #11 – Think positively Think happy thoughts Work on correcting automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs. Examples of ANTs: ‘All or nothing’ thinking. – Black or white. ‘Always’ or ‘never’ thinking. Focusing on the negative. Fortune telling – predicting bad outcome. Guilt beatings – ‘I should have…’ or ‘I ought to…’ Blaming other people when things go wrong.
Slide 37: Brain tip #12 – Breathe! Breathe deeply all day long. Diaphragmatic breathing. Increases oxygen to the brain and body, lessens temper flare-ups, reduces impulsivity and increases the ability to think clearly. Slight changes in oxygen content in the brain can alter the way a person feels and behaves.
Slide 38: Brain tip #13 – Smile! Smile -especially when you don’t feel like it! When we are happy we smile and when we smile, we feel happier. Feedback between levels of the brain is bi-directional. Information goes both ways. Smiling, even when you don’t feel like it, can improve your mood.
Slide 39: Surround yourself with intelligent and interesting people. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #14 – Socialize One of the best ways to keep expanding the networks in your brain, in your social life and in the business world. Verbal interaction with other capable individuals causes your brain to create new connections and pathways.
Slide 40: Challenge your brain daily. Your brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more you can use it. Every time you learn something new your brain makes a new connection. Learning enhances blood flow and activity in the brain. If you go for long periods without learning something new you start to lose some of the connections in the brain and you begin to struggle more with memory and learning. Do vocabulary exercises, quizzes, puzzles, crosswords, debates, anagrams and brainteasers. Attend current events seminars. Write in a journal. Volunteer your time. Learn a new skill, language or subject. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #15 – Learn new things
Slide 41: Early to bed, early to rise… You need at least 7 hours per night to optimize brain functioning. Sleep deprivation decreases brain activity and limits access to learning, memory, and concentration. A recent study showed that those who are sleep deprived had less overall brain activity than those who are not. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #16 – Get your sleep
Slide 42: Stress hormones have been shown in animals to be toxic to memory centers. Brain cells can die with prolonged stress. Managing stress effectively is essential to good brain function. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #17 – Minimize Stress
Slide 43: Make love, not war Sexual contact with a partner at least once a week led to delayed menopause, increased estrogen levels, and delayed aging. Brain imaging studies at UCLA have shown that decreased estrogen levels are associated with overall decreased brain activity and poor memory. Enhancing estrogen levels for women through regular sexual activity enhances overall brain activity and improves memory. Intimacy and emotional bonding may be the most influential factors in the positive aspects of sex (sex with a partner is more important than simply an orgasm). Appropriate sex is one of the keys to the brain's fountain of youth. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #18 – Make love
Slide 44: Listen to classical music Use music to help develop concentration skills. In a famous study at the University of California at Irvine, students who listened to Mozart's Sonata for 2 Pianos increased visual-spatial intelligence by about 10 percent. Another recent study demonstrated that students who play a musical instrument scored higher on average on the SAT than children who did not play music. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #19 - Listen to music
Slide 45: On a piece of paper write down the following headings: relationships, work/school, money, physical health, emotional health, and spiritual health. Next to each heading write down what you want in each area. When you finish writing all of your goals make multiple copies of it and prominently display it where you can see it several times each day. Frequently ask yourself, "Is my behavior getting me what I want?" This exercise helps you to stay focused on the things that are most important to you. InfiNet Assessment Brain tip #20 - The One Page Miracle Work Family Health
Slide 46: For more information, visit InfiNet’s website at: www.InfinetAssessment.com Dr. John may be reached at (925) 944-3440 John@InfinetAssessment.com InfiNET Assessment, Inc. Thank you for your time!

认知机器人Cognitive Robot - 道客巴巴

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